1. Field
The present invention pertains to the field of herbal compositions. More particularly, the herbal composition may be used for relief of sleeping disorders, especially sleep apnea.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disturbance problems in America. It ruins the sleep of an estimated 25 million Americans on a regular basis. The condition prevents the sleeper from entering rapid eye movement (REM or dream sleep) and Delta sleep modes. This causes the sufferer to become anxious, cantankerous and tired during the day. Serious health conditions are associated with prolonged sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea. In one aspect, sleep apnea lowers blood oxygen levels below normal values for prolonged periods of time. This lack of oxygen has potential to damage to the brain and heart.
Despite the large number of people who suffer from sleep apnea, current treatment options are quite limited. Initially, the patient is told to loose weight, drink less alcohol and quit smoking; however, many patients are unwilling or unable to do those things. Surgery is offered to remove obstructions from the inhalation pathway. While the surgery option provides some limited successes, the procedure is painful and often provides no relief. The last option is for the patient to purchase a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This is a forced air mask, worn during sleep, that insures proper inhalation. Most patients are unwilling to stand this expense, nor do they very well tolerate use of machinery that assists breathing in this manner.
None of these ‘solutions’ address the actual cause of the problem. Being over-weight does not cause sleep apnea. Smoking is not a cause, nor is sleeping on one's back. Sleep apnea results from competing regulatory control mechanisms of the body being out of balance.
Human bodies have numerous types and styles of control systems. Some systems regulate and maintain physiological conditions. For example, people who are in good health generally maintain core body temperature within a degree or so. The temperature control system always operates on an involuntary basis. The body regulates metabolism, smoothly and continuously providing just enough heat from digestion of food and stored fat to maintain the desired temperature. When body temperature rises too high, people begin proportionately releasing sweat to cool the body. When the temperature falls too low, people burn more stored fat to release energy. This illustrates of a proportional control system, i.e., one that makes continuous corrective actions in proportion to the error that the system is experiencing. Respiration is also a proportional system. As blood oxygen level starts to drop, respirations become deeper and more regular while the heart pumps faster.
Other types of control systems exist, and are known generally as bi-valent systems. These systems have one of two states: (1) active or (2) in-active. A good example of the bi-valent system is the gag reflex. When a foreign object advances down the throat, the body will convulsively expel the object by a rapid contraction of esophagus and stomach. This response is not proportional to the amount of penetration of the foreign object, nor is it proportional to the size of the object. It is an ‘all or nothing’ response. In a related example, one is ether vomiting or not vomiting.
Human bodies have many control systems, and many protective systems as well. Two systems affecting sleep apnea concern the respiration system. One system is proportional and the other system is bi-valent. As above, a control system is responsible for maintaining the blood oxygenation level. This is a proportional control system that controls the diaphragmatic muscles, in order to regulate the depth of respiration.
People fall asleep, and so also move through the various stages of sleep. Stage one is drowsiness. Stage two sleep is a transition stage before entering REM sleep. REM sleep is where we dream, which is essential to a good nights sleep. Muscular activity is inhibited in Stage 2, and this is commonly referred to as reduction of muscle tonus. This may be explained as a way to prevent the dreamer from physically acting out the movements of his or her heir dreams. This muscular inhibition becomes necessary because the part of the brain that controls muscular movement cannot tell the difference between a person who is dreaming about walking down stairs and one who is actually walking down stairs. The inhibition suppresses the movement of signals from the brain along the spinal cord. Some problems with the inhibition mechanism develop, especially as people age.
One problem is that the muscles of the soft palate in the back of the mouth become weaker, allowing the soft palate to sag. This is not particularly unusual, since most people are not professional vocalists and don't exercise their soft palate. As people age and levels of human growth hormone (HGH) drop, many muscles in the body atrophy to a lower level of capability.
Another problem is that the neuronal communication between the diaphragm and the brain becomes somewhat obstructed. The nerves that reach the diaphragm emanate from the spinal column at C3, C4 and C5. These cervical vertebrate are located at the insertion point of the upper trapezius muscles. The upper trapezius muscles may be significantly affected by stress to produce tension. This tension reduces the intervertebral foramen from which the nerves emanate, restricting the nervous flow along the root of the nerve through direct restriction. Significantly, a large amount of this tension is residual and does not dissipate when the subject enters stage two sleep.
The result of this is that upon entering stage two sleep the muscle tonus holding the soft palate out of the air-way is further reduced, allowing the soft palate to sag into the airway. While this is happening, the same inhibition of muscle tonus is further attenuating or reducing the neuronal signals to the diaphragm on the already obstructed nerves. Breathing becomes shallower and shallower due to the insufficient signal strength being delivered to the diaphragmatic muscles.
The blood oxygen level drops as breathing becomes shallower. In a young and healthy individual, this usually illicits stronger and deeper breathing from the proportional control system that regulates these activities. In some older individuals with restricted nervous flow to the diaphragmatic muscles, there is no residual ability to increase deeper breathing, due to the inhibition caused by stage two sleep entry and restricted nervous flow. The respirations reduce in intensity and, consequently, the blood oxygenation drops.
In sleep apnea. the normal proportional control loop is un-able to maintain the desired level of blood oxygenation. This is where the bi-valent safety back-up system comes into effect. When the blood oxygen level gets low enough to cause the individual to suffer physiological damage, the bi-valent system intervenes and causes the body to make a large and immediate inhalation. This causes a large pressure differential in the pharynx and literally sucks the sagging-soft palate into the airway. This obstructs the flow and causes a loud “SNORT,” which awakens the subject.
Upon awakening, the inhibition causing the reduction of muscle tonus for entry into stage two sleep is released. Respiration begins again in a somewhat normal manner. As the subject starts to drift off to sleep again, he or she moves into Stage two. The muscle tonus drops, the soft palate sags, the signal to the diaphragm diminish and the cycle repeats. The resulting snorting awakenings typically occur every minute or so.
Problematically, the present modalities of treating sleep apnea do nothing to affect these regulatory and protective mechanisms.